Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for vibrationally stimulating a human body. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for mechanically stimulating tissues and organs, including bone tissue and soft tissue in the legs, arms and spinal region of a human user, as well as skin, ears, nose, throat, vascular structures, muscles and joint regions including ligaments, tendons, articular cartilage, and the cardiovascular system and venous circulation, by applying mechanical vibration to the user""s body.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known to encourage bone growth with vibration and impact devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,028 to Kenneth J. McLeod discloses an apparatus for stimulating bone growth in a living organism such as a human by transmitting vertical vibrations through a plate upon which the person stands. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,103,806, 5,376,065, and 5,191,880, also to McLeod, claim methods for preventing osteopenia, and promoting growth, ingrowth, and healing of bone tissue including bone fractures, through the step of subjecting bone to a mechanical load. U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,484 to Bassett et al. describes a method of providing passive exercise treatment to increase the size and strength of bone by transmitting vertical impact loads to the heel of a patient. U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,599 to Halpern claims a similar method for the prevention or alleviation of osteoporosis. U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,822 to Ricken describes a resonance frequency stimulator for increasing blood circulation in horses comprising a vibrating platform upon which a horse is made to stand, and which vibrates at the resonant frequency for the horse being treated.
The devices currently known in the art are typically focused on a concentrated stimulation of bone tissue through vertical vibration. The McLeod patents, for example, suggest vertical vibration with optimal ranges of load and vibration frequency. In addition to these limitations, the devices currently known in the art do not utilize horizontal vibration or address the concept of independent control of vertical and horizontal motion.
The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present invention. The present invention minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vibrational conditioning and/or therapeutic therapy device.
It is yet another object of this invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide such a device for home use that is easy to operate.
It is an additional object of the present invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide such a device that provides horizontal vibrations as well as vertical vibrations.
It is another object of this invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide such a device that provides both horizontal and vertical vibrations that may be operated independently of each other, and are independently controllable as to frequency.
It is another object of this invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide such a device that is relatively low to the ground for ease of stepping onto and off of the base platform.
It is another object of this invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide such a device that includes handrails for assisting the user in stepping onto and off of the base platform.
It is yet another object of this invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide such a device that includes vibrational handrails that will impart vertical vibration to the arms and upper body of the user when grasped.
It is still another object of this invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide such as device that permits more versatility to the user for composing vibrational treatments of tissues and organs, including bone tissue and soft tissue in the legs, arms and spinal region of a human user, as well as skin, ears, nose, throat, vascular structures, muscles and joint regions including ligaments, tendons, articular cartilage, and the cardiovascular system and venous circulation of the user.
The above and other objects are realized in an apparatus for mechanically stimulating a human user comprising a base frame, a rigid plate or platform connected to the base frame and having an area sufficient to support a standing human, vibration means attached to the bottom of the horizontal plate whereby the plate oscillates in both vertical and horizontal directions at a desired frequency within an amplitude of preferably 2.0 millimeters or less, and frequency control means whereby the frequency of the vertical and horizontal oscillations may be selectively and independently adjusted. Hand rails are preferably connected to the device such that vibrations may be transmitted to the arms and upper spinal and head regions of a user""s body when grasped.
Some of the above objects are also realized in a unique method for using the above-referenced apparatus for mechanically stimulating tissues and organs, including bone tissue and soft tissue in the legs, arms and spinal region of a human user, as well as skin, ears, nose, throat, vascular structures, muscles and joint regions including ligaments, tendons, articular cartilage, and the cardiovascular system and venous circulation, by applying mechanical vibration to the user""s body. Such vibrational stimulation may also improve the digestive system and bowel habits.
The ability of the device disclosed herein to accomplish the objectives is significant. Horizontal vibration provided by applicants"" home-use device may be desirable for improving cartilage nutrition in joints, for alleviating joint pain, stimulating articular cartilage in hip, ankle, and knee joints, for example, and other joints, and for stimulating muscle compartments including their vascular elements. In addition, bending the knee joint through various knee flexion angles during vibrational treatment will achieve wider stimulation of weight-bearing zones and may be helpful in the treatment of osteoarthritis. It would therefore be desirable to have a device and method that combines vertical vibration with horizontal vibration to provide these benefits. Such a method would be beneficial for the treatment of tissues and organs, including bone tissue and soft tissue in the legs, arms and spinal region of a human user, as well as skin, ears, nose, throat, vascular structures, muscles and joint regions including ligaments, tendons, articular cartilage, and the cardiovascular system and venous circulation. The benefits to articular cartilage may be provided either with or without osteogenic or chondroprotective agents.
Applicants"" vibrational conditioning and/or therapeutic therapy device will allow independent control of the presence and frequency of vibrations in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions. This will allow the selection of an appropriate vibration regime, whether it involves vertical vibration alone, horizontal vibration alone, or both vertical and horizontal vibrations simultaneously.
Still further, the prior art devices do not achieve adequate vibration of the upper spinal region or the head region, nor of the upper extremities where osteoporosis and associated fractures are a major health risk. When a user stands or even sits upon vibrating platforms as taught by the prior art, the mass of the user""s body dampens the vibrations before they reach more distant regions of the upper body. Thus the benefits of vibrational loading of bone and connective tissue are attenuated in those regions. A preferred vibrational conditioning and/or therapeutic therapy device will provide means whereby the arms and upper spinal region of the body may be stimulated directly, without the dampening caused by transmission of the vibrations from a distant region of the body. Such a novel configuration allows more direct treatment of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints, and the bones of the upper extremities, and also allows more direct treatment of the thoracic and cervical regions. Stimulation of the wrist region may be beneficial in the treatment of osteoporosis in the distal radius.
Additionally, many of the prior art devices specify a resonant frequency for the vibrations. In these devices either the device must make calculations to determine the resonant frequency of the combined mass system of the device and the patient combined, or a feedback system is required whereby forces or accelerations are monitored. These fixed range systems are often cumbersome and expensive, and are unnecessarily limited. Such fixed range devices are also unsuited to home use by virtue of their expense and limited application. A preferred vibrational conditioning and/or therapeutic therapy device will be simple for a user to operate, even in their own home, without the need for involved calculations or the addition of complicated feedback and control mechanisms.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention without undue experimentation. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.